Mark Adams is a seasoned high-tech executive with deep experience in building companies and effecting social change. Most recently, he was the Chief Development Officer of Equinix, the world’s leading data center company. Returning to his passion for social impact, Mark co-founded Kasi Cloud, a data center start-up focused on expanding internet access in sub-Saharan Africa. He is also currently a director of Cyrus One, a privately-owned data center platform; and a senior advisor of Digital Infrastructure for McKinsey & Company and Global Infrastructure Partners, a private equity fund. Prior to Equinix, Mark held senior executive positions at Electronics for Imaging, Adaptec, Roxio and Mspect. In fall off 2023, he was an adjunct professor at the Haas School of Business, University of California – Berkeley. Mark’s commitment to social change is reflected in his past work in the World Bank, Thai refugee camps, and a United Nation’s microloan program for Thai women entrepreneurs. Through these experiences, Mark realized that development organizations need a combination of capital, skill development and entrepreneurial drive to have significant social impact. In response, he founded the Nusantara Investment Fund, a $25M fund for direct investment in Indonesian businesses and jobs. Mark has recently moved to Santa Cruz and San Francisco, after living in Cupertino for 25 years. He is a good fit for the South Bay-Peninsula Advisory Board because his professional and personal networks are primarily in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties (rather than San Francisco). In sharing his motivation for joining the 10,000 Degrees Advisory Board, Mark says, “I have had a life-long passion and interest in education and launching students on their careers. Both of my parents were university professors and instilled in me a respect for the power of education to create opportunity. At the same time, I’ve seen in my own career path, the power of the right internship, the right first job, to help young people discover their passion in the world. I enjoy counseling young adults about potential career paths and how to get started — I’m very experienced at developing resumes and leveraging networks to help students land that first role. I am very excited about the potential of 10,000 Degrees to drive significant impact in the Peninsula and South Bay. I am impressed with the scope and impact of 10,000 Degrees in Marin and SF — I think there is tremendous leverage by expanding a successful model to new markets.” Mark has an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Economics from Cornell University. He enjoys international travel, tennis and pickleball. He currently resides in San Francisco and Santa Cruz with his family and his Doberman, Daisy.

Ann Aylwin has been a principal with the Smith + Aylwin Team at Compass for the past 8 years, and among the top real estate agents in Marin County for the past 15 years. Prior to that, she spent 17 years living, working, and traveling extensively in remote corners of Asia, Africa, and South America as Director of Operations, then Vice President of Marketing and Sales, for Geographic Expeditions, a leading adventure travel company. Ann cares deeply about education and community, and has held board and leadership positions with the Reed Union School Foundation, the Belvedere Community Foundation, the Belvedere Tiburon Library Agency and Foundation, and the Belvedere Tiburon Landmarks Society. A native of Ohio, Ann earned her Bachelor of Philosophy with a Focus in Finance at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She is a mother of two daughters, and a published author and photographer.

Gary F. Bengier was eBay’s Chief Financial Officer, leading the company’s initial and secondary public offerings. After a 25-year career in Silicon Valley, engaged in multiple technologies, he went back to school to study physics and philosophy. He then earned an MA in philosophy and turned to speculative fiction, writing novels about what happens to human purpose when machines do most of the work. Gary also serves on the board of the Santa Fe Institute, the home of complexity science, where he is audit chair and on the executive committee. He chairs the Bengier Foundation, a small family foundation with a mission to help give bright, hardworking young people the chance to be successful. In addition to an MA in philosophy from San Francisco State University, Gary has an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has two children with Cynthia, his wife of forty-nine years. He raises bees and makes a nice Cabernet at the family’s Napa vineyard.

Chris Boyd is the chief operating officer of Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass, a law firm headquartered in San Francisco. Before joining Coblentz, Chris worked for Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in several leadership roles, and before that was a corporate attorney at the firm. He has long supported the mission of 10,000 Degrees, initially as a board member and board chair of Meritus College Fund (which merged with 10,000 Degrees in 2018) and since 2020 as a member of the San Francisco Advisory Board. Chris graduated from Princeton University in 1987 and Stanford Law School in 1992. Chris lives in San Francisco, where he and his late wife raised their three daughters.

Graham joined Goldman Sachs’ Private Wealth Management Division in San Francisco in 1999. Graham focuses on advising entrepreneurs, executives and family groups on all aspects of their financial wealth. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Graham worked for Shoreline Pacific and specialized in private equity financing for small-cap technology and biotech companies. Graham graduated cum laude with a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles. Graham grew up in Marin County and is an alum of 10,000 Degrees. After initially serving on the board of 10,000 Degrees from 2005 through 2015, he has returned to the board to help guide the organization through this next pivotal chapter.

Janie Carroll Richardson is a graduate of Middlebury College where she received a B.A in History, graduating magna cum laude and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Janie also holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School, graduating with Distinction. Janie devoted her legal career to serving the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office. As a Deputy City Attorney from 1995 until 2014, she practiced labor and employment law, administering the City’s grievance arbitrations and representing management in labor negotiations. She advised City departments on employment matters and implemented anti-harassment training. After retiring from the City Attorney’s Office, Janie performed legal work for public interest clients. Janie is also experienced in the non-profit sector, serving two terms on the Board of Trustees for her alma mater, The Thacher School. In this capacity, she served as Vice-President and Chair of the Personnel, Audit, and Development Committees. She was the Chair of the public phase of a $130 million capital campaign and led the Student Safety Committee, which oversaw an intensive investigation into historical sexual misconduct. Janie also served on the Board of Meritus College Fund from 2014 until 2018, where she chaired the Governance Committee. Janie’s interests include reading, cooking, running, and the Spanish language.

Isabela “Bela” Cherry is a portfolio manager at BondBloxx, bringing extensive knowledge of fixed income ETFs from her experience in prior roles in the ETF industry. Before joining BondBloxx, Isabela held various roles within BlackRock’s ETF and Index Investing Group. As part of the iShares Global Product Marketing team, she helped with content creation, production, distribution, and content performance analytics. Isabela was also a member of the Americas Index Equity Product Strategy team, where she represented BlackRock’s institutional index business as a product expert. Isabela is an active member of her community as a mentor to 10,000 Degrees and College of Marin students. Her goal is to propel education and career opportunities for the Latinx community.

Dana Emerson was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She earned a PhD in Adult and Higher Education with a focus in Leadership from Oregon State University. She also holds several certifications in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), conflict resolution, facilitation, and family law dispute resolution. Currently she holds the position of Assistant Superintendent/Vice-President of Student Learning and Success at the College of Marin. Prior to her role at the College of Marin, she was the Executive Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism, Accessibility & Fiscal Stability for the Coast Community College District. She is also the CEO of Woman Hold Up Half the Sky, Inc a nonprofit organization committed to the personal and professional development of women and society. Dana’s core belief is that we all need someone in our corner, on our team, that will help and support us to be the most successful people we can be. This is why her tagline is “98% of Success is Support…I’ve got your back!”™

Shelley W. Gottlieb, a retired sales executive, development professional and former special education teacher, is a longtime advocate for youth and the disabled. Beginning and ending her career teaching the developmentally disabled in New York and San Francisco, she sandwiched in 30+ years as a B2B sales executive as well as a development director and consultant for several non-profits. She earned a BS in Special Education, Summa Cum Laude, from Long Island University and an M.Ed., Summa Cum Laude, from Hofstra University. Shelley is currently a member of the San Francisco Advisory Board of 10,000 Degrees. She served on the Board of Directors of The Arc of San Francisco for 6 years, two of which as president. Until recently she was a was a member of the Board of Directors of Huckleberry Youth Programs, serving on, among others on the Development and Executive Committees. Shelley is a long-time CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), and was their Court Dog handler. She is a recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service.

Brad Hilsabeck is a retired partner, board member, and former Chief Executive Officer of Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC (GMO), a global institutional investment management firm. Over a distinguished 30-year career in the investment management industry—including his last 15 years at GMO—Brad was a dynamic leader who was instrumental in the firm’s growth and evolution into one of the premier investment advisors for some of the world’s largest and most sophisticated institutional clients. Following his retirement from firm leadership in 2016, Brad channeled his passion for leadership and mentorship into local youth development and professional sports governance. He served as an assistant boys’ basketball coach at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, helping guide the team to a 31-4 record and league and Northern California State titles. Brad is also a passionate advocate for professional sports management; he is a member of the ownership group and serves on the Board of Directors for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, and is a co-owner of the NorCal Rumble, a professional women’s volleyball team. A seasoned trustee, Brad has lent his governance and strategic planning expertise to numerous corporate and philanthropic boards. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. Brad and his wife, Andrea, reside in Lafayette, California, where they raised their three children.

Derek is a Vice President at Goldman Sachs, where he serves as a trusted advisor to a select group of entrepreneurs, executives and professional investors on all aspects of asset and wealth management. He has substantial experience guiding founders and executives through a liquidity event, and provides strategic wealth structuring advice with a focus on tax optimization. As a Mandarin speaker and dual-citizen of Canada and USA, Derek has counseled numerous international families who have chosen to establish a presence in the US. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Derek held management, engineering and operations roles in the semiconductor and telecommunications industries. Derek received a B.A.Sc, with distinction, in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, an M.S. in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University, and an M.B.A. in Analytical Finance and Organizational Behavior from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and three children.

Jane Machin is Chief Financial Officer of Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), where she leads the finance and operations team and helps POST plan for the future and make sound financial decisions. She has more than 20 years of finance leadership experience, having spent most of her career in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. Before joining POST, Jane was Chief Finance and Operations Officer at Pivotal and Chief Financial Officer at First Place for Youth. Her work with organizations supporting young people with experience in foster care strengthened her commitment to expanding educational opportunity. Jane also previously served on the board of Techbridge Girls. She is drawn to 10,000 Degrees’ work helping students from low-income backgrounds succeed in college and build meaningful careers.

Angela Mira is a business executive and strategy advisor with more than 30 years of leadership experience spanning enterprise strategy, business transformation, and digital innovation. Her career includes senior leadership and consulting roles at Wells Fargo, Visa International, and Charles Schwab, where she led complex, cross-functional initiatives to advance business growth, strengthen enterprise capabilities, and transform customer engagement across financial services and technology. Angela brings a multidisciplinary perspective to strategic planning, organizational governance, and responsible innovation. Her experience combines business and technology leadership with legal insight into the implications of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies for enterprise strategy, risk oversight, and corporate accountability. Angela serves on the Board of Directors of 10,000 Degrees and its Governance Committee, contributing to organizational oversight, board effectiveness, and strategic priorities. A longtime advocate for educational equity, she previously served on the Advisory Board of Assumption Catholic School, where she chaired the auction marketing committee for more than a decade. Angela recently earned a Master of Legal Studies in Law & Technology from UCLA School of Law. She also holds an MBA in Corporate Strategy from the University of Michigan and an A.B. in Sociology from Princeton University. Her graduate research examined the impact of artificial intelligence on corporate innovation, governance, fiduciary responsibility, and enterprise decision-making.

Operations Director and Positioning Consultant, Firebrick Consulting Katey has a true passion for helping companies create positioning strategies that resonate with the market, break through the noise and drive business results. She brings more than 25 years of experience to her role at Firebrick, and has led hundreds of companies and their executive teams to build market-differentiating programs. She also plays an operations role for the firm, managing strategic partnerships, team resources and team-building. Before Firebrick, Katey was a PR agency VP working with companies across a wide range of sectors to build awareness and thought leadership. Katey earned a B.A. in International Relations from Bucknell University. A native of the Midwest, she lives in San Rafael with her family and two Labrador Retrievers, where she loves seeking out new adventures in food, wine and nature.

Sarah is the founder of Brand & Board, a consultancy that works alongside nonprofit leaders to maximize board engagement and brand effectiveness. For nearly two decades, Sarah has partnered with nonprofits—from healthcare organizations and community foundations to innovative educational institutions—to sharpen strategy, clarify voice, and elevate impact. Before consulting in the nonprofit sector, she spent the first chapter of her career in consumer packaged goods marketing and advertising as a Management Director at DDB Worldwide. She later became a partner at Mission Minded, a strategy and creative firm serving nonprofit organizations. An active nonprofit board leader, Sarah has held leadership roles on multiple boards, including helping guide the successful completion of a recent capital campaign for Napa County’s leading mental health services agency.

Loren Nickel is a global risk management and financial executive with 30 years of expertise in enterprise risk strategy, actuarial science, and corporate governance. Currently serving as Director, Risk and Insurance at Alphabet. In addition, he serves as CEO of Imi Assurance Inc, an insurance company based in Hawaii. Throughout his career, Loren has held senior leadership roles across major financial and risk institutions. His corporate governance background spans extensive executive and non-executive director roles, including serving on the Board of Directors for the Casualty Actuarial Society, Chairman of M200 Risk Org., and Advisory Board Member for UC Santa Barbara’s Actuarial Program. Recognized as an industry thought leader, Loren was named Risk Manager of the Year by Business Insurance in 2017 and received the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) Horizon Award in 2026. A passionate advocate for student mentorship and educational opportunity, Loren brings a deep commitment to strategic governance, financial equity, and empowering the next generation of leaders. Loren holds a B.S. in Statistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and holds FCAS (Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society), MAAA (Member of the American Academy of Actuaries), and CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) designations.

Kathryn Olson is a highly versatile C-Suite Executive having been a Corporate Officer and Chief Marketing Officer / SVP at blue-chip companies including Nordstrom, Wrigley, Gatorade (Quaker Oats) and Shutterfly. She has deep functional expertise in strategic planning and marketing spanning multiple channels of distribution, diverse product categories and early growth to century old companies. She is a philanthropic leader, serving on the boards of civic, women’s leadership and environmental non-profits. Kathryn Olson is the former Chief Executive Officer, and former Board Chair, of the Women’s Sports Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to creating leaders by ensuring all girls and women have access to sports, especially those in underserved communities. As CEO Olson led a turn-around of the WSF, securing multiple million-dollar sponsorships. The WSF was founded by Billie Jean King and has worked with thousands of champion athletes and awarded over $115 million in educational and cash grants. Ms. Olson currently serves as Philanthropy Director of the Outdoor Art Club. She recently served as Vice Chair of the Marin Theatre Company, a nationally recognized theater producing new American plays. Ms. Olson was in the Sports Business Journal’s inaugural class of “Game Changers” and repeatedly named one of the “Most Influential Women in Business” by the San Francisco Business Times. Ms. Olson graduated from the University of Illinois College of Commerce and earned her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Manisha Patel Shah brings decades of management experience across the nonprofit, education, and corporate social impact sectors. In addition to serving on the 10,000 Degrees Board, she sits on the board of MVLA Scholars and previously served on the Los Altos Education Foundation Board. For more than a decade, Manisha has volunteered as a mentor to first-generation students, both through the AVID program at Mountain View High School and through Braven at San Jose State University. Professionally, she was a Director at the Valhalla Foundation and has led marketing and growth teams at Team4Tech, Summit Public Schools, and Intel. Manisha holds a BA in Economics and BS in Computer Science from UC Davis and an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Nikhil Sharma is a Senior Software Engineer with over 12 years of experience in building scalable, highly resilient products leveraging Micro Service Architecture and API-first design. He is passionate about technology and delivering products to make a profound impact on end users. Nikhil has experience in working with cross-functional , geographical teams following agile practices with a focus on test-driven methodology. Nikhil is completely aligned with 10,000 Degrees mission to help students from low-income backgrounds get to and through college in order to positively impact their communities and the world. Nikhil believes education is the key to creating endless opportunities by which economically and socially marginalized adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty.

Madeleine Sinclair has more than a decade of experience in the investment management industry, spanning functions of account management, distribution strategy, and business development. She specializes in the design of client acquisition and retention strategies, sales planning, and strategic marketing programs. As a key member of the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock (iShares), she has led teams of tenured sales professionals and has contributed to the growth of a multi-billion-dollar Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) client base. In her current role, she partners with the Head of BlackRock’s US iShares Wealth Advisory Group to set its strategic direction and define key priorities to enhance competitiveness and market share growth. Education: MBA, New York University and BA, DePauw University

Born in India, Sonu came to America when he was just a teenager, and today he is the Owner and CEO of The Chandi Hospitality Group which he runs with his family. In 2007, Sonu along with brothers purchased his first Mountain Mike’s Pizza franchise in Rohnert Park. It wasn’t long before its success led to development of 14 more Mountain Mike’s throughout the North Bay in the last 10 years. Along with successfully running his ever-expanding franchises, Sonu currently holds the position of president for the Mountain Mike’s North Bay Franchise Management which plays developer role for the whole North Bay. Under Sonu’s vision, the Chandi Hospitality Group continues its rapid expansion. As well as running a fast-growing business, Sonu also devotes much of his time and energy in strengthening the Santa Rosa community. He is on the Governance Committee of the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber and Green Music Center. In addition, he has been a board member of the Santa Rosa Downtown Association, Sonoma County Harvest Fair, United Way of North Bay, the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University and 10,000 Degrees. Thanks to his dedication, he has been honored with the North Bay Business Journal’s Corporate Philanthropy Award, the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber named him Hospitality Small Business of the Year in 2017, the North Bay Business Journal named him one of its Forty Under 40 (2015). Sonu has also been recognized for the Keegan Leadership Award as First Next Gen, Community Impact Award by Santa Rosa Memorial Foundation and Keegan family. Additionally, American Dream Award 2017 by Congressman Mike Thompson and invited to attend State of the Union for 2022 on behalf of Sonoma County Business.

Tracy Solomon is a creative problem-solver and strategic leader whose impactful career spans more than three decades across the private, nonprofit, and government sectors. Her last position was at The Education Trust—West (ETW), a leading education advocacy organization. As a senior leader, she oversaw the organization’s strategic planning, budgeting, and operations for seven years before retiring in 2015. Prior to her time at ETW she held various senior management positions that included strategic and financial planning, marketing and project management, first at The San Francisco Music Box Company, a specialty retailer, then at Portal Publications, a graphic arts wholesaler. Since 2015 Tracy has been an engaged philanthropist supporting and/or volunteering for a variety of nonprofit and political groups with a focus on education and social justice. She is currently a member of Women Donor’s Network and serves on several committees, and is on the Advisory Board for FULCRUM, a literacy advocacy nonprofit. Tracy earned a B.A. in English and Theater from Wesleyan University and an MBA from UC Berkeley.

Dr. María L. Villagómez is a higher education leader and advocate for educational equity with more than 30 years of experience in public education, including more than 26 years in California’s community college system. She currently serves as Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Academic Affairs at Santa Barbara City College, where she provides strategic leadership for academic programs, enrollment management, and institutional initiatives focused on student success and equity. Her leadership has included advancing instructional productivity, securing more than $5 million in grants, leading organizational redesign, and leading the development and approval for a baccalaureate degree in Health Information Management. A proud first-generation college graduate and alumna of Napa Valley College, Dr. Villagómez is the daughter of Mexican immigrant farmworkers. Her lived experience profoundly shapes her commitment to expanding access to higher education and creating pathways to economic mobility. She spent more than 16 years as an award-winning tenured professor at Napa Valley College before serving in progressively responsible academic leadership roles, including Senior Dean and Dean of Instruction. Dr. Villagómez holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and multiple master’s degrees. She is an Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow and has participated in numerous statewide leadership programs. She brings to the board a deep understanding of California higher education, student success, shared governance, and the transformative power of education to change lives and strengthen communities.

Jeremy Wenner is a Partner at IEQ Capital and has provided investment advice to wealthy families for over 25 years. Prior to joining IEQ Capital, Mr. Wenner was a Managing Director and Wealth Manager at First Republic Investment Management which he joined in 2018. Prior to joining First Republic, Mr. Wenner was a wealth advisor at Jefferies LLC and Thomas Weisel Partners. Mr. Wenner started his career in financial services at NationsBanc Montgomery Securities in 1998 before joining SF Sentry, a multifamily office. Mr. Wenner has been recognized as a 2022 & 2023 Best-in-State Wealth Advisor by Forbes. Mr. Wenner currently serves as a mentor for 10,000 degrees, a nationally recognized leader in supporting students from low-income backgrounds to and through college and beyond. He has also served on the Corte Madera FC board and volunteered for many years as a youth soccer coach. Mr. Wenner received a BA in Political Science from Colgate University. He received his MBA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Mr. Wenner currently resides in Marin County with his wife and three children. He enjoys skiing, surfing, biking and soccer.

Mary Wolfe is a retired marketing executive who spent her career working for a variety of tech and consumer companies on strategic marketing, product marketing and design, and new business development. She is an avid community volunteer serving on the boards of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and The Young Women’s Choral Project of San Francisco and is a chair emeritus of Raphael House of San Francisco. She serves on the capital campaign committee for the libraries at the University of Virginia. Mary graduated from the University of Virginia where she received her B.A. degree in English literature.

Kim Mazzuca has served as the President & CEO of 10,000 Degrees since 1999. A Bay Area native and first generation college graduate, Kim has dedicated her life to social justice. She brings more than two decades of executive nonprofit management and philanthropic leadership in the areas of youth development, human services, workforce development, and education. Prior to joining 10,000 Degrees, Kim served as the Associate Executive Director of Jewish Vocational Service and as Director of Rehabilitation and Special Assistant to the Founder and Director for RCH, Inc. She holds her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from San Francisco State University, is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Program for Nonprofit Leaders, where she was named a fellow in 2001, and is currently seeking her doctoral degree in Organization and Leadership at the University of San Francisco. In 2014, Kim was named a Nonprofit Leader of the Year by North Bay Business Journal and in 2015, she was named Legislative Woman of the Year for California’s 10th District. Kim has served on numerous community boards, including the National College Access Network Board of Directors, where she completed a three-year term as board president. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Prison University Project at San Quentin.